Churches must reach out to younger generations

The Christian church has existed for more than 2,000 years, and during this span it has changed completely. We've come a long way from living in huts and eating only bread and fish. Since then, we've endured the collapse of dozens of empires — borne through plagues and epidemics — and witnessed the shaping of the modern world.

Some sections of the church are versatile — adapting to the times while staying true to the gospel message. Others, however, seem to be stuck in the Dark Ages.

As the modern world shifts, the church must shift with it.

Rest assured, I am not advocating changing the message the church spreads. Instead, I am advocating changing the method. Today, we have technology that can bring news to people all over the world. Why are we sticking with archaic methods of spreading the gospel while calling them "tried and true?"

The Great Commission instructs us to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. Undoubtedly, using the technology and resources that we have at our disposal today would help with this task.

If we can't reinvent the way we distribute the gospel to the world, we will find ourselves left in the dust.

Another issue is that the church has been split by disagreements over thousands of tiny issues. A broken church cannot heal a broken world. Our lines cannot be divided by trivial issues such as the music played during worship.

Instead, we have to join together to focus on the more important issues.

Primarily, the church needs to focus on reaching members of the younger generations. While it is important to make sure that those already in the church are being taught and leading godly lives, it is also incredibly important to add new members. To assist the completion of this goal, we must add programs for kids and teenagers so that they, as well as adults, can gain the wisdom in the Bible.

The church must branch out into an online presence. This includes social media as well as a well-designed and practical website. Social media gives people a chance to reach out and make friends, and the church can take advantage of that by using a Facebook or Instagram page to tell people about upcoming events, talk to others about God and answer questions from the general public.

While this may seem like a large amount of work, it's an integral part of the modern church and easily can be handled by a few tech-savvy volunteers.

While we need to change the way we deliver the gospel, we also have to focus on truly following the Bible. If we insist on continuing with our traditional ideas simply because they are tradition, we will simply die out because we are totally unrelatable to the modern world.

At the same time, we have to understand that we can't sacrifice the commands of the Bible in exchange for an increase in the church's following.

One partially abandoned tradition is volunteering. The church needs to make sure they're making a difference in the world, however small. It doesn't have to be extravagant mission trips to Africa and Asia. Instead, it can be a tiny soup kitchen in the city or even just a program in the church basement for addicts. But as Christians, it's our job to do everything we can to make the world just a bit better. If we aren't doing that, we aren't achieving the goals set out for us in the fundamental parts of our religion.

Lastly, the church can no longer make compromises. We have to stick to our guns and follow to the letter the commands set out in the Bible. No rule-bending and no excuses.

There are essential changes to be made in some churches and small ones to be made in others. But it's important for churches to continually evolve. The right time to make these changes is now.